I can do this project for you. I\'ve been taking a look at the play by play data and this project should be no problem. The two tricky parts you mentioned, active lineups and shot distance are both fairly easy to figure out. For the active lineup you can get the starting lineup and then keep track of the substitution and ejection events to determine which players are active at any given time.
Shot distance can be calculated as well, from the documentation it looks like shots are recorded with x, y coordinates in inches, its not hard to calculate the distance to the hoop from there.
As for my qualifications, I have three years of experience working with python and two years of experience doing web development. I\'ve worked with data APIs before and have developed multiple python scripts that read and write csv data.
I would be happy to discuss the project with you in more detail and or answer any questions you might have. Feel free to contact me at any time and I\'ll get back to you as soon as possible.
My price is negotiable, $1500 seems a bit steep for this project to be honest. I can modify my price after we\'ve discussed the project and your requirements further.
Thanks,
Joshua Cruikshank